The invention pertains to a round baler having an expansible baling chamber, and more specifically relates to the arrangement of various components forming the baling chamber.
DE-A1-198 10 074 discloses a round baler having a baling chamber, the size of which can be varied due to the fact that belts are compliantly supported on rollers, with the belts forming a loop between two rollers situated on the sides of an inlet, and with the baling chamber being formed in said loop. A two-armed carrier that can be pivoted about the rotational axis of a lower roller is provided above the inlet. As the bale diameter increases, a central roller is pressed away from the baling chamber such that a third, upper roller tensions the belts to a certain degree and thus increases the density of the round bale.
A comparable arrangement for tightening belts of this type is disclosed in DE-A1-198 51 470. However, only one roller is arranged on a pivoted carrier in this case, with the pivoting movement of the carrier being controlled by the tensioning arm of the belts.
According to EP-A1-0 339 730, a baling chamber is surrounded by belts and rollers, with four rollers being arranged on a pivoted carrier and partially encompassing the baling chamber. The belts extend through a gap between a roller situated farthest from the pivoting axis of the carrier and a roller situated adjacent thereto. Due to these measures, the walls surrounding the baling chamber are coupled to one another and a high tension is exerted upon the round bale.
The problem to be solved with the invention can be seen in the fact that the supply of new material is difficult to introduce into the baling chamber when the forming bale has a high density.
According to the present invention there is provided an improved structure for defining an expansible baling chamber of a large round baler.
An object of the invention is to provide a large round baler having an expansible baling chamber that is constructed so as to facilitate the feeding of harvest into the baling chamber.
A more specific object of the invention is to provide a large round baler having an expansible baling chamber having a forward part partially defined by a plurality of rolls mounted to a carrier pivotally mounted to the opposite side walls of the baling chamber, with one or more of the rolls having a flexible tension means, that forms part of the baling chamber, engaged therewith such as to cause the carrier to pivot to press the other roll(s) against the forming bale so to force it away from the bale chamber inlet so as to create a space for allowing the ingress of the harvest.
A further object of the invention is to provide a large round baler as defined in the immediately preceding object, wherein the carrier is so shaped and the roll(s) engaged by the tension means are so located that the carrier causes an increase in the tension of the tension means as the bale increases in size.
Yet another object of the invention is to provide a large round baler as defined in the immediately preceding object, and further including a harvest conveyor which is located partially within the baling chamber inlet for positively delivering the harvest through the inlet.
These and other objects will become apparent from a reading of the ensuing description together with the appended drawings.